4 Venom players heat up team

Midseason additions provide key to Amarillo's success

Four reasons why the Amarillo Venom are making a run at the Lone Star Football League title are mid-season additions (left to right): defensive back Rashaun Jones, quarterback Nate Davis, defensive back David Irizarry and kicker Jason Cunningham.

The Amarillo Venom are the hottest team in the Lone Star Football League with four straight wins — the best run in the league — and appear primed to win the franchise’s first indoor football league title since 2004.

There are many reasons why the Venom are as hot as the weather, but there are four reasons, in particular.

Amarillo has four players that were not on the roster when the season started in late March — four midseason additions that have played big parts in the Venom success.

Here’s a breakdown of quarterback Nate Davis, kicker Jason Cunningham and defensive backs David Irizarry and Rashaun Jones — midseason signees that were better late than never.

■ Quarterback Nate Davis. Former fifth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers signed in May when the Venom were 2-3 and next to last in the LSFL in passing offense. Amarillo has gone 5-1 with Davis under center and now ranks second in the LSFL in passing offense (258.2 yards a game). Davis leads the LSFL in total offense (301.7 yards a game) and passing offense (295.7 yards per game). Davis had 44 TD passes in 274 pass attempts.

“My job is to lead the team, and that’s one of the best things I can do,” Davis said. “The main thing is we all got on the same page. I feel like we are all clicking. I’m not satisfied with my performance, though. I have left a lot of points out there when the defense has got us some turnovers. I’m not satisfied.”

■ Kicker Jason Cunningham: The former Tascosa Rebel and all-America at Montana State has provided just what the Venom needed when he signed in June. In the three games before Cunningham signed, Amarillo was a woeful 1-of-11 on PATs — a stat that cost the Venom probably two wins. Cunningham has made 5-of-8 field goals and is 27-of-31 on PATs in Amarillo’s four-game win streak.

“I’ve had a blast. It is super-fast paced,” Cunningham said. “It is cool, not only the fact that I get to play in Amarillo, but that I get to let my friends who never got a chance to watch me in college see me play. These guys were primed for a title, they just needed a few pieces to the puzzle.”

■ Defensive back Rashaun Jones: Jones signed in early June with good friend David Irizarry after the pair left Rio Grande Valley. Amarillo has not allowed more than 48 points in a game in its past four games. In two games before the arrival of Jones/Irizarry, Amarillo allowed three receivers to pile up a combined 33 catches for 478 yards and 13 touchdowns and had lost four of five.

“We knew we had a chance at a title when we got here,” Jones said. “This is more like home than Rio was. We’re all family here, and I’ve felt right at home.”

■ Defensive back David Irizarry: Irizarry leads the league in picks — 13 overall and seven since arriving in Amarillo.

“To be honest, I thought we could play for a championship when we got here,” Irizarry said. “(Amarillo head) Coach (Julian) Reese is a great game-planner, and he saw something in me and Rashaun that we could get the job done. The season is not done yet, and I want to stay hungry.”

■ Venom Bites: This is the final game of the regular season for Amarillo. The Venom will host a semifinal playoff game on July 14 against the LSFL’s fourth-place team ... Amarillo has won a league-high four games in a row ... Venom QB Nate Davis was named the LSFL offensive POW with 411 passing yards and eight touchdowns in a 65-32 win over Abilene. Teammate and DB David Irizarry was the defensive POW with seven tackles and three picks ... Saturday’s game is “Fan Appreciation Night.” Fans will have a chance to win a pair of two-night trips to the Wildwood Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colo, as well as Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers tickets.

■ For more information and ticket information, call the Venom offices at 806-350-7277 or go to www.govenom.com.